show me:

Key match ups for Melbourne v Parramatta

3 minute read

Three key match-ups for the NRL semi-final between Melbourne and Parramatta.

Eels head coach BRAD ARTHUR talks to players during a Parramatta Eels NRL training session in Sydney, Australia. Picture: Mark Metcalfe/Getty Image

KEY MATCH-UPS IN MELBOURNE VS PARRAMATTA SEMI-FINAL

* SULIASU VUNIVALU v MAIKO SIVO

This battle could not only determine the match, but who is the most dominant Fijian winger in the game. Brad Arthur has uncovered a diamond in the rough in Sivo. In what is his debut year, he is just two tries away from equalling Semi Radradra's club record for most tries in a season. He is the competition's top try-scorer with 22 and is also second for linebreaks with 27 - only behind James Tedesco. The Storm have let in 30 tries through the right edge this year where Will Chambers and Vunivalu defend. Melbourne's centre (13) and left (9) edges have conceded the least tries in the league, so expect the Eels to go down their right channel.

* MITCHELL MOSES v JAHROME HUGHES

Has Mitchell Moses finally arrived as a player? He led the Eels' rout of Brisbane last week, scoring 20 points as well as setting up another two four-pointers. He topped the league for try assists with 30 and after being maligned for years, seems to have matured as a leader. Hughes started the season in the Storm's fullback pecking order but has now supplanted Brodie Croft as their first-pick No.7.

* CAMERON SMITH v REED MAHONEY

This will be a clash of the master and the apprentice. Mahoney has quickly emerged as arguably the best young hooker in the game. With the club boasting little depth in the position, he has played big minutes this year and made more tackles than any player in the competition (1076 at an average of 43). He's at the opposite end of his career to fellow Queenslander Smith, who continues to be the most influential player in the NRL. He is second in the betting for the Dally M and has evolved his game following the departures of Cooper Cronk and Billy Slater to play a mix of hooker and halfback.